JP5307874B2 - Tire buffing equipment with improved waste control - Google Patents

Description

  Tire buffers are commonly used in tire regeneration operations that remove old and worn treads and prepare the tire casing to accept a new replacement tread. More specifically, the recycled tire casing is buffed to remove excess rubber. The buffing of the casing can also be used to give the casing crown a substantially uniform texture and to give the casing a predetermined cross-sectional shape that complements the new replacement tread attached to the tire casing. After buffing, the tire casing is subjected to a variety of other related to the installation of the new tread, including the application of common cushion rubber to the casing, placement of the new tread, stitching and vulcanization of the new tread to the tire casing. The process steps are followed.

  The buffing operation of the tire produces a large amount of rubber waste. To help control this debris, tire buffers typically have a vacuum system designed to aspirate rubber particles as they are removed from the tire. Unfortunately, such a vacuum system is effective in removing most of the generated waste particles, but does not capture all the rubber waste. Debris that leaves the vacuum system collects in the buffer device and is scattered in the area around the buffer. As a result, the buffer and surrounding area must be periodically cleaned to collect rubber waste and dispose of it properly. This periodic maintenance is particularly time consuming and expensive because the buffers often need to be shut down.

1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary tire buffing apparatus including an improved debris control system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a top view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1 showing a main door in an open position. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1 showing a main door in an open position. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the inner door in the open position. FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the inner door moved to an open position by a file pedestal. FIG. 2 is a top view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1 showing the inner door moved to an open position by a file pedestal. FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the tire buffing apparatus of FIG. 1 showing an embodiment of an example of a rear dust shield. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a file pedestal portion of the tire buffing machine of FIG. 1 showing primary and auxiliary brushes.

  Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, an exemplary tire buffing machine 10 or tire buffer constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown. The illustrated tire buffer 10 is operable to buff and texture the tire casing. A tire casing generally has a crown portion that is edged on each side by a shoulder portion and respective side walls. In a generally known manner, the buffer 10 is configured to buff at least the crown and shoulder portions of the tire casing. In the illustrated embodiment, the buffer 10 has a base 12 that supports the various components of the buffer 10. The illustrated buffer 10 further includes an electrical housing 14 within which electrical components relating to the operation of the buffer can be housed, and an operator station 16 that can be used by an operator to direct a buffing operation.

  To support the buffed tire casing, the buffer 10 has a hub assembly 18 (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5). The illustrated hub assembly 18 is supported by a base 12 and has a chuck 20 on which a tire can be installed. The chuck 20 is rotatable so that the tire supported thereon can rotate during the buffing operation. Additional details regarding the structure and operation of the buffer can be found in US Pat. No. 7,040,371, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

  To support a rotating file 22 that can be used to remove material from the tire casing, the buffer 10 has a file pedestal 24. Also, the shown file pedestal 24 further rotatably supports the textured brush 26 to provide the desired texture to the casing. The file 22 and the textured brush 26 are best shown in FIG. In this case, the rotating file 22 and the textured brush 26 are supported close to each other near the upper end of the file pedestal 24. The file 22 and the texturing brush 26 are supported by a pedestal 24 in a housing 28 having openings 30, 32, and the file 22 and the textured brush 26 engage the tire casing through the respective openings 30, 32. . In this case, the file pedestal 24 is supported on the base 12 and is configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis so that the file 22 and the textured brush 26 can pivot relative to the tire casing supported on the hub assembly 18. The The file 22 and the textured brush 26 can be supported on the same rotating shaft, which in this case is operatively joined to a drive motor 33 supported by the file pedestal 24. For ease of description herein, the portion of the buffer 10 where the file pedestal 24 is located is referred to as the front or front end of the buffer 10 and the opposite end of the buffer 10 away from the file pedestal 24 is the buffer end. Called the rear end. Further, in this specification, the side of the buffer 10 on which the electric housing 14 is disposed is referred to as the inside, and the opposite side of the buffer 10 where the operator station 16 is located is referred to as the outside.

  The file pedestal 24 can be supported on the base 12 by the positioning structure 34 to move the pedestal 24 and thus the file 22 and the textured brush 26 relative to the hub structure 18 and the tire casing supported thereby. In this case, the positioning structure 34 is configured to move the file pedestal 24 along vertical and horizontal xy axes with respect to the hub structure 18. To achieve this goal, the positioning structure 34 is slidable x-table 36 and y-table 38 (see FIGS. 1-3) arranged perpendicular to each other on the base 12 and a table 36 for the base 12. , 38 (and thereby the pedestal 24). The positioning structure 34, combined with the rotatable configuration of the file pedestal 24, for example, allows the file 22 and the brush 26 to be positioned to buff both the crown and shoulder of the casing. The brush 26 allows operative engagement with the tire casing supported on the hub assembly 18 at different angles with respect to the casing (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

  A vacuum system may be provided to remove debris resulting from the operation of the buffer 10. The vacuum system may have a debris collection system that joins via a duct 40 with a receptacle 28 of a file pedestal 24 that supports the file 22 and the textured brush 26. In a known manner, the vacuum system further includes an air pump in communication with the duct 40 operable to provide suction at the openings 30, 32 of the receptacle 28 through which the file 22 and the textured brush 26 extend. You may have (refer FIG. 10). This suction draws particles and other substances removed from the tire casing by the file 22 and texturing brush 26 through the openings 30, 32 during buffing into the containment 28 and through the duct 40 to the collection system. Carry. The openings 30 and 32 for the file 22 and the textured brush 26 can have an outer shape that complements the outer shape of the tire casing. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, primary brush structures including primary brushes 42 and 44 extending around the openings may be provided in the openings 30 and 32, respectively. The primary brushes 42, 44 engage the surface of the tire casing to help prevent material removed from the casing from exiting the opening during buffing. In the illustrated embodiment, the primary brush 42 extending around the file opening 30 has a spring-loaded brush 45 along one side of the opening 30. The primary brushes 42 and 44 along the boundary line of the openings 30 and 32 also help to seal the tire casing in order to increase the suction power of the vacuum system.

  In addition, to prevent debris and other debris generated during buffing from accumulating on the machine and in the surrounding area, the tire buffer 10 keeps the debris confined in the immediate vicinity of the buffed tire casing. There may be an additional debris control system that assists and simplifies the cleaning operation and eliminates debris and debris from being scattered in the surrounding area. The additional debris control system may include a debris enclosure 46 that at least partially surrounds the tire casing when supported by the hub assembly 18. In the embodiment shown, the refuse enclosure has an arcuate side wall 48 that typically matches the shape of the tire casing boundary. In particular, the side wall 48 is configured to extend at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the tire casing mounted on the hub assembly 18. The sidewall 48 only extends partially around the periphery of the tire casing so that the file pedestal 24 has access to the tire casing of the hub assembly 18 so that the file 22 and the textured brush 26 can pass through and engage the tire casing. The opening on the front side of the hub structure is left as it is.

The debris enclosure 46 may further have a vertical inner wall 50 and an outer wall 52 joined to the side wall 48. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner wall 50 is configured to at least partially extend and cover the side surface of the tire casing. The inner wall 50 further has a cut-out portion through which the shaft of the chuck 20 of the hub assembly 18 can extend. In this case, the inner wall 50 is positioned forward along the inside of the tire casing so that a space is freed for the file pedestal 24 as the file pedestal 24 moves to an inner buffing position relative to the hub assembly 18. It doesn't grow at all. Therefore, the inner wall 50 of the housing 46 covers only the side surface of the tire casing on the hub structure 18 only partially.

  The outer wall 52 may be configured as a main door 54 that can be selectively opened and closed to allow the tire casing to be installed and removed from the hub assembly 18. More specifically, the main door 54 is, in this case, an open position (shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) where the main door 54 is located on the side and allows the tire casing to be attached to or removed from the hub assembly 18. Hinged to the vertical support 56 so that the main door 54 can move relative to the side wall 48 and the inner side wall 50 between a closed position (shown in FIGS. It is fastened. A handle 58 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) may be provided on the surface of the main door 54 to facilitate opening and closing by the user. Further, when the main door 54 is in the closed position, a lock 60 that can be used to fix the main body of the main door 54 to the side wall 48 of the waste sealed container 46 may be provided.

  The outer wall 52 is open and closed with respect to the main door 54 to allow space for the file pedestal 24 to move to the outer buffing position (along the outside of the tire casing mounted on the hub assembly 18). There may be an inner door 62 hinged to the main door 54 on the side wall to move between positions. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner door 62 is typically disposed at the front end of the main door 54 and has an outer portion 66 that is widened or angled at the front end. In the closed position (shown in FIGS. 1-3), the main door 54 and the inner door 62 extend across or beyond the outside of the tire casing mounted on the hub assembly 18. Unlike the inner wall 50 of the waste enclosure that does not extend all the way forward, the outer wall 52 of the illustrated embodiment is a tire mounted on the hub assembly 18 when the inner and main doors 62, 54 are closed. It extends over substantially all sides of the casing.

  The inner door 62 is normally in the closed position when the file 22 or textured brush 26 is engaged with the crown of the tire or in the side buffing position inside the tire casing. When the file pedestal 24 moves to the side buffing position outside the casing of the tire (denoted 67 in FIGS. 7 and 8) with the file 22 and the textured brush 26 mounted on the hub assembly 18, the file pedestal moves into the inner door. First, it engages against the widened portion 66 of 62, and then engages against the body of the inner door 62, thereby opening the inner door 62 relative to the main door 54 as shown in FIGS. Pivot to position. The hinge mechanism 64 of the inner door 62 may include a spring arranged and configured such that the file pedestal 24 pushes and opens the inner door 62 against the spring force. Thus, when the file pedestal 24 moves back from its outer buffing position to a position above the crown of the tire casing, the spring automatically pulls the inner door 62 back to the closed position.

  Where the wall does not extend to the back of the buffer (i.e., away from the rotating file 22 and the textured brush 26), the front end of the inner wall 50 of the debris enclosure 46 may exit beyond the wall. One or more debris shields may be provided to help contain any debris. As best shown in FIG. 9, in this case, the debris enclosure 46 has an inner back debris shield 68 that extends vertically and is installed outwardly with respect to the outer surface of the inner sidewall 50. The inner back debris shield is configured to provide a vertical shield that extends a little further beyond the length of the inner wall 50 as well as the lower edge of the wall. According to one preferred embodiment, the inner backside dust shield consists of two separate shields that are slightly offset laterally from each other. The inner backside scrap shield may be combined into a single integral part, but it will be understood that in this case the split process is facilitated by splitting the waste shield in two.

  An auxiliary brush assembly may be provided to assist in containing debris and other debris exiting from the primary brushes 42, 44 extending around the file and textured brush openings 30, 32. As shown in FIG. 10, in the illustrated embodiment, the auxiliary brush assembly has upper and lower auxiliary brushes 70, 72 that may exit the primary brushes 42, 44. The debris is intended to be trapped at the top of the buffer, and the lower auxiliary brush 72 is intended to trap debris that may exit the primary brushes 42, 44 at the bottom of the buffer. To achieve this goal, an upper auxiliary brush 70 is vertically positioned above the primary brushes 42, 44 for file and textured brushes, and a lower auxiliary brush 72 is provided for the primary brushes 42, 44. Arranged vertically below the lower side. Both the upper and lower auxiliary brushes 70, 72 are constructed and positioned so that they can engage the surface of the tire casing during the buffing operation to provide barriers against debris movement. The upper and lower auxiliary brushes 70, 72 are also wide enough to provide debris barriers that extend directly above and below both the file and textured brushes 22, 26. The auxiliary brushes 70, 72 are supported by the file pedestal 24 and thus move with the pedestal as the pedestal moves relative to the hub assembly 18, thus providing an effective debris barrier in the side buffing and crown buffing positions. To do. In this case, the upper auxiliary brush 70 is installed on the upper support 74 that extends upward from the accommodating portion 28 containing the file, and the lower auxiliary brush 72 is installed on the lower support 76 that extends downward from the accommodating portion (FIG. 4). And FIG. 10). Each support 74, 76 in the illustrated embodiment directs each auxiliary brush 70, 72 so that when engaged with the tire casing, the brush typically extends radially relative to the tire casing.

  All publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference herein as if each reference had been individually and specifically described in its entirety herein. Everything is incorporated.

  The use of the words “one” and “this” and like referents in the context of the description of the invention (especially in the context of the claims below) is not indicated elsewhere herein. Or unless clearly contradicted by context, it should be interpreted as both singular and plural. The terms “comprising”, “having”, “including” and “containing” are to be interpreted as unrestricted words (ie meaning “including but not limited”), unless stated otherwise. It should be. Except where otherwise indicated herein, each separate value is included in the specification as if it were individually enumerated herein, and the range of values within this specification. The description is intended to be provided merely as a way of omitting individual values that fall within the range. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. It is. Any and all uses of the examples provided herein, or exemplary words (e.g., "like") are merely intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention, and others It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, except as claimed in No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed component as critical to the practice of the invention.

  Preferred embodiments of this invention have been described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations on these preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art having read the foregoing description. The inventor expects those skilled in the art to employ such variations in an appropriate manner and intends the invention to be practiced in ways other than those specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Also, unless all combinations of the above-described components in all possible variations of the above-described components are otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly inconsistent with the context. Are encompassed by the present invention.

Claims (6)

A hub structure that supports and rotates the tire casing;
A rasp pedestal having a support tire casing and engageable rasp in said hub structure,
Scrap that surrounds a tire casing that is at least partially mounted to the hub assembly and is configured to assist in containing scrap and other debris generated when the file engages the tire casing of the hub assembly. An airtight container,
A tire buffing device for buffing a tire casing ,
The waste container has a side wall extending around at least a portion of a circumferential surface of a tire casing supported by the hub structure;
The waste sealed container has an inner wall and an outer wall joined to the side wall;
The outer wall has a main door supported for movement between an open position and a closed position relative to the side wall and the inner side wall;
The outer wall has an inner door supported for movement between an open position and a closed position relative to a portion of the main door;
The file pedestal is movable into a side buffing position, and movement of the file pedestal into a side buffing position engages the inner door to move the inner door from a closed position to an open position. A tire buffing machine in which the inner door is configured . The tire buffing device according to claim 1 , wherein the file pedestal supports a textured brush that can be engaged with a tire casing supported by the hub structure. The tire buffing device according to claim 1, wherein the side wall is arcuate. The tire buffing device according to claim 1, wherein a waste shield extends outward from the inner wall of the waste sealed container. Furthermore, it is arranged on the file pedestal and at least partially surrounds the file and is configured to be engageable with the tire casing mounted on the hub assembly when the file engages with a tire casing. The tire buffing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a primary brush structure including an upper side and a lower side. Further, an upper auxiliary brush supported by the file pedestal and arranged vertically above the upper side of the primary brush assembly and a lower auxiliary arranged vertically below the lower side of the primary brush assembly. The tire buffing apparatus according to claim 5, comprising an auxiliary brush assembly having a brush.